Ebola in the DRC: CENCO calls for stronger mobilization

The Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo has issued an alarm over the country’s Ebola outbreak, calling for greater mobilization around prevention, treatment and community protection.

The National Episcopal Conference of Congo said it was closely monitoring the 17th Ebola epidemic, officially declared by the Public Health Ministry on May 15, 2026. The appeal appeared in a message signed by Fulgence Muteba, the archbishop of Lubumbashi and president of CENCO.

The bishops listed repeated stock shortages, a lack of equipment and protective material at some health facilities, and inadequate financial and logistical support for health workers. They also pointed to attacks against medical staff as an obstacle to containing the disease.

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The Catholic Church affirms that it is closely following the evolution of this 17th Ebola epidemic, officially declared by the Ministry of Public Health on May 15, 2026.

CENCO warned that false information and misleading messages were circulating around Ebola. Beliefs that attribute the disease to witchcraft or a curse could keep patients away from medical facilities, it said. The church argued that medical resources alone cannot defeat the outbreak, because communities must also accept and follow prevention measures.

The World Health Organization has separately called for $1.3 billion to prevent what it described as a catastrophe. The WHO said the Ebola response in the DRC also depends on securing the necessary financing.

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The bishops deplore the circulation of false information, incomplete information and misleading messages around the disease.